Hundreds stranded as landslide hits Sibugay town

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines  - Hundreds of commuters were stranded after a landslide cut the highway in a town that linked this city and other provinces in Mindanao Friday night, according to police and disaster authorities.

The Office of  Civil Defense (OCD) here reported that the landslide occurred shortly after 10 p.m. Friday along the highway in Barangay Buluan, Buug town, Zamboanga Sibugay near the boundary of Zamboanga del Sur.

Police investigation disclosed that the loose part of the cliff along the highway collapsed and mountains of soil and boulders covered the two-lane road.

The police said the landslide rendered the road not passable to all types of vehicles and cut off traffic to all types of inbound and outbound vehicles.

“The police, local government and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) worked overnight to clear up the highway and check if there were victim accidentally hit by the landslide,” Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, Spokesman of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO) said.

He said the clearing operation was completed shortly Saturday afternoon and no one was reported hurt from the landslide. Vehicles were also able to pass the road again.

Disaster officials disclosed that the wall of cliff collapsed following the recent torrential rains in Western Mindanao.

The OCD has advised residents to stay out of the landside- and flood -prone areas due to the weather condition to avoid any disaster.